


The Reluctant Heroes

by LadyAikaterina



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alive Marco Bott, Alternate Universe - Military, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Armin Arlert/Erwin Smith - Freeform, F/F, F/M, Krista/Ymir - Freeform, M/M, Major Character Injury, Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein - Freeform, Possible Character Death, Sasha Blouse/Connie Springer - Freeform, Sasha and Connie are married, Science Experiments, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-19
Updated: 2014-10-14
Packaged: 2018-02-18 01:45:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2330663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAikaterina/pseuds/LadyAikaterina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>None of us were expecting this. None of us signed up for this job, but sure enough, there we were. We'd become Reluctant Heroes and suddenly the world was looking to us to fix everything. Either we succeeded, or our world became a literal hell.</p><p>
  <b>On Indefinite Hiatus!</b>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Happy Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first fan fiction. Ever. Seriously. Ever. I'm not the greatest writer, but I'm trying my very best to make this an enjoyable story. The tags will continue to extend as more is added to the story.
> 
> This story will alternate between Levi and Eren when it comes to the point of view. There are a few chapters when a supporting character will be the star of a chapter. Keep in mind that this will be an Ereri fiction, but it's going to be a slow build. There will be a lot of fluff and romance later on, but ultimately, I also want to tell a good story.
> 
> I'd like to thank my wonderful cousin Purplesauris for betaing this fiction for me. You can find her by the user Purplesauris both here and on tumblr (purplesauris.tumblr.com). You can find me on tumblr at ladyaikaterinadee.tumblr.com
> 
> I'm going to try and update this at least once a week, but I'm a college student and school will be starting for me soon. Don't be surprised if you don't get an update for a few weeks. :(
> 
> Anyway. I don't know what else to say, so enjoy!

My cousin really was a pain in the ass. Who in their right mind would just walk into someone's bedroom and flip on the lights without a single warning? Not only was it rude, but I seriously wasn’t in the mood to deal with her. I just wanted to lay and sulk in my bed for the entire day. According to her, that’s what I did the best, anyway. Rolling over in bed, I buried my face in the mound of pillows that were just waiting for me.

"What the hell do you want?"

My voice sounded hoarse, and a little less snappy than I intended it to be. Mikasa had flipped the lights on so quickly that I couldn't exactly get my bearings, and I was more than a little irritated with her. Exhaustion was gripping at the edges of my vision when I opened my eyes to blink. I knew that she wasn’t going to leave me alone this morning, but I couldn't even register what was happening. Why was she here again?

"It's Christmas morning," she reminded me, walking right through my room, with her shoes on, I noticed, and pulling open the curtains. The light of the rising sun glared harshly off the snow that coated everything, and it made my room seem even brighter than it had before. "Happy birthday, Levi."

Something akin to a groan escaped my lips and I turned my head back into my pillows, my hands covering my eyes as an extra precaution. "Don't remind me, 'Kasa. Another year closer to croaking," I complained, kicking my feet against the end of my bed. I hardly felt her tugging at my blankets. I did, however, hear her set something down on the nightstand, clearly getting ready to dethrone me. I could only give a sound of protest as she suddenly ripped the blankets out from underneath me and flipped me onto the floor.

Mikasa slowly rolled up the blankets around her arms, making a point of refusing me their warmth. I just barely peeked my eyes up at her, lying flat on the hardwood floor. My gaze tore away from her and I let it drift underneath the bed, feeling my stomach clench in disgust. "That's fucking disgusting. There's a dirty sock under my bed," I moaned. The sound turned into a squawk as the raven haired woman flipped me over with her foot, glaring down at me. I clearly wasn't going to win this battle of wills any time soon. My cousin could be a real hard ass. Even harder than me, at times. I took her glare as a sign that she wasn't going to take any more of my shit and pushed myself off the floor, staggering to my feet and scratching groggily at my belly.

"I'm up, I'm up. Happy?" I grumbled half-heartedly at her.

"Kenny is waiting downstairs. He made Shepherd's Pie."

Curse his need to make weird foods for breakfast. Where did he even get that habit in the first place?

"How thoughtful," I snapped irritably, waving her away as I headed toward the shower. "Since when do you two team up and invade my flat?" I called it over my shoulder, meaning it as a dig at her and my adopted father. It wasn't anything that I ever expected Mikasa to answer, but I knew she would anyway. She never could resist going toe to toe with me, after all.

In fact, she sounded almost as irritable as I was feeling at that moment, "Since you decided that you wanted to lock yourself up inside all the time." Her words cut off promptly and I felt something weighted and cushy hit me in the back. Of course she'd throw the blankets at me. I kicked my foot back, sliding them away from the bathroom door.

"You dropped it, you pick it up."

She just snorted at me and stomped out of the room. The bathroom door slammed behind me.  
I took my sweet time washing up. I wasn't in any hurry, and if I knew Kenny and Mikasa, they weren't either. They knew my habits well enough to know that I wouldn't be out of the shower until I had washed three or four times. It was the only way that I felt clean, and it was certainly the only way I was going to make myself feel better about finding dirty clothes under my bed. I grimaced at the very thought, wondering what I could put on my feet to avoid any other grime but also kicking myself for not keeping up on my house work. It seems my habits had taken a turn for the worse. Long days at the office meant I had less energy when I returned home. That or I was so stressed I locked myself in my study until I worked myself into a mini coma. I promised myself right then and there that as soon as I kicked Mikasa and Kenny to the curb, I’d go on a cleaning spree. It would certainly make me feel better.

Somehow I knew that just wasn’t going to happen.

I dressed myself in a pair of black pants and a crimson shirt, at least attempting to be a little festive. Black and red wasn’t very far from my normal attire, so it was probably a wasted effort. I laced up my dress shoes and ran a brush back through my hair, staring at myself blankly in the mirror. My hand flew up to my neck and I scowled at myself. I’d almost forgotten my cravat. I hated my neck and the scars that riddled my skin. Adding a cravat to my wardrobe was the easiest way to hide them. I had a multitude of colors, but I decided on a forest green one. Now Mikasa really couldn’t complain at me. If I had to hear her make any more comments about my inability to have fun and enjoy myself during the holidays, I swear I was going to push her off the balcony of my 11th story flat.

Trudging along the hallway, the smell of Kenny’s cooking was the only thing that started to put me in a better mood. I appeared in the kitchen without saying a word. Mikasa eyed me from the dining room table, her lips on a cup of what I suspected to be hot tea. Kenny had his head in the oven and my only passing thought was if I’d be able to get away with kicking him further inside. I shook the idea away, pulling out one of the chairs and sinking into it with a huff.

“Someone looks chipper this morning,” Kenny’s voice cut through the silence as he pulled the pie out of the oven.

“It’s not every Christmas that I get a rude awakening. Oh wait, I lied.” Mikasa choked on her drink, glaring daggers over the rim of her cup. I simply scowled at her, crossing my arms over my chest, “Don’t drool on my table, ‘Kasa.”

“Where’s the box?” Mikasa asked, slowly setting her cup down, her expression impassive.

I stared at her, my mind working backwards rather slowly. She had put something on my nightstand, hadn’t she? Yes. Yes, she had. Suddenly I felt guilt twisting in my gut and I glanced away. She knew I hated gifts. I don’t understand why she always insisted on getting me something. She didn’t push the subject any further, opting to remain silent, even though I knew her expression all too well. She poured me a cup of tea, and Kenny reached over me, dropping a couple of ice cubes into the cup before Mikasa slid it close to me. Kenny set the cooling pie in the middle of the table, cutting a few pieces and serving each one of us. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until my entire piece of the pie was gone. We spent a little while after that just cleaning. None of us really said anything of merit.

When all the cleaning was finished, we all settled on the couch, trying to decide if we wanted to watch some shitty French Christmas movie, or go out. While Mikasa and Kenny argued about what sounded more fun, I turned the TV on and focused on the news.

Even though it was Christmas, the news was dreary like it always was. I wasn’t really surprised. The world seemed like it’d been going to hell as of late. There was always talk of this country going to war with this one. Murders. Massacres. Drug busts. Sex trafficking. Considering that I used to be a part of all the worlds chaos, I felt a small jolt of excitement.

It was Kenny who’d gotten me into the business to begin with. He wasn’t exactly known for being a complete angel on the streets of Paris. No, he ran a much darker part of Paris. The Underground was his domain, and he had his hands in everything from murder, to drugs, and even managed to stick his nose into politics and world affairs as long as it would benefit him in the end. Now, I only did a few runs for him every once in a while. Christmas was always his biggest day when it came to dealing, so I knew that the only reason he was arguing to go out right now was because he had packages that he wanted to drop off. Mikasa was oblivious, though, so I guessed that was a good thing.

I could see my father starting to grow tense, slowly growing uneasy by the fact that he was losing the battle with Mikasa. They hardly got along, but they tried their hardest on my birthday. However, even I could see that things were starting to fall apart and it wasn’t even ten in the morning. I tried to focus on the TV for a little longer but finally shot to my feet.

“Let’s just go out,” I said as if the decision were final. And it honestly was. I wasn’t going to spend the day listening to those two arguing. “I’m going to get my coat. You two… I don’t know. Just get ready.”

I went back to my room and grabbed my favorite coat, a long wool trench coat with a military styled look. Slipping it on, I spent a few moments buttoning it up in front of the mirror. My eyes landed on the box on my nightstand and I let out a sigh. I might as well not let Mikasa sulk anymore. She lived in Japan and hardly got to see me. I guess I really couldn’t refuse a gift from her even if I didn’t like the idea. The only gift I’d really wanted was her company, but she’d gone ahead and gotten me something anyway. I sunk onto the edge of the bed, grabbing the brightly wrapped box. Tearing carefully at the paper, I let out a slow breath as I opened the small box.

A pocket watch.

A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips though I didn’t let it stay there for long. Just in case she walked in. I slipped it carefully out of the package and clicked it open, taking my time to set the correct time. It slipped easily into my pants pocket and the chain clasped against the waistband. I rose to my feet when Kenny shuffled into the room, holding out a small package. Confusion bubbled in my stomach because I knew that he hadn’t gotten me a gift. He never had, so what was the difference now?

“I need you to make a delivery, Levi,” he said in a low voice, glancing back toward the door to make sure that Mikasa wasn’t right behind him and listening to our conversation. “Under the Eiffel Tower in two hours, got it? You have fun with Mikasa. I’ve got some deliveries of my own to make, so I won’t see you again today. Don’t fuck this up, kid.”

I’m sure he could see the scowl forming on my features as I snatched the parcel from him, “When the fuck have I ever messed any delivery up?” For some reason the need to defend my own skills meant I also talked back to my boss. I ignored the dangerous look in his eyes and pushed passed him, my mood effectively ruined. “Lock up, Kenny,” I spit the words over my shoulder, tucking the parcel into one of the inner pockets of my coat before moving back into the living room.

I eyed Mikasa, watching her wrapping her favorite red scarf around her neck, covering her mouth. The fact that Kenny wasn’t following me must have given her the hint that he wasn’t joining us and I just gave her a shrug, not really wanting to get into it with her. “Do we want to take my car?” she finally asked, giving me a curious look.

“Yeah. I kinda want to go and see the Eiffel Tower today,” I noted like it was the most natural of words to come out of my mouth. If she saw through my bluff, she didn’t let on. I’d seen the Eiffel Tower so many times that I really didn’t care to go an visit it. Fucking Kenny.

I followed her out to her car. It was a rental, so it was nice enough, though the thought of how many people had used the car made my stomach turn. Germs were everywhere. Rental cars were often cesspools of them. I didn’t complain, however. My own car was out of commission, so it’s not like we had any other choice to get around the city. Mikasa had offered to look at my piece of junk, but the weather had been too harsh to risk her standing outside in the cold for too long.

We drove in silence for the most part. Mikasa wasn’t too entirely sociable, and the only time I was truly comfortable having a conversation was when I was in front of my easel or had a sketchbook in my lap. I spoke to my art, but that was really as close as I ever got to having any sort of relationship… With the obvious exceptions, of course. Even at work I kept my distance. It was easier that way. People couldn’t pry into my business if I didn’t give them the time of day.

We stopped in front of the tower, and I glanced toward Mikasa, noting that she was a little tense. “Walk with me,” I said calmly, nodding my head toward the tower. I knew that it was one of her favorite places to be. Considering the fact that she lived in Japan, she didn’t get to see it as often as I did. I knew for a fact that she hadn’t been here in the last few visits, so I figured that she should at least get up close to it. Just because I had a job to do didn’t mean that she couldn’t enjoy herself at least a little bit. She didn’t argue, thankfully, walking beside me in silence. She kept her face buried in her scarf, her eyes trailing slowly up the enormous structure. We stopped in front of it, choosing to settle on one of the benches instead of going up into it.

It was silent here save for the howling of the winter wind. There were other people walking the paths, but we didn’t pay them any mind. I was too focused on trying to spot the person I was supposed to drop this package to. I wanted to get it done and over with so I could actually enjoy my own birthday and spend the rest of the holiday with the cousin I hardly got to see.

“Are you seeing the same thing that I am, Levi?” Mikasa asked, sounding a little nervous. It struck me as odd at that moment. Mikasa was never nervous. She never let things affect her, and I respected her for that.

Knowing that she was nervous put me on edge and I focused on my surroundings. I took in the sight of each person around us, noting that quite a few of the tourists were watching us. I didn’t see the curiosity that a normal tourist would hold in their gaze. I saw something completely different, and I knew we had to go. We had to get out of there right then. I did the one thing that I could think of, reaching out and grabbing Mikasa’s hand.

“We’re going to walk back to your car. Slowly. Don’t let them think that they’ve spooked us even though I’m sure that they already know,” I murmured toward her, pulling her to her feet. We moved in a tense silence. My gaze remained ahead of me, not drifting anywhere but my goal. The car. We had to reach the car and in that moment it almost seemed as if it were light-years away.

I turned my head to look back just once, counting five people following behind us, though they focused on each other as if Mikasa and I didn’t exist. I knew differently. My hand slipped from Mikasa’s and I pressed it against her lower back, “Run. Run to the car. _Now_.”

She didn’t waste any time, either, bolting ahead. The five tailing us started into a run and I did the most logical thing at that moment. Spotting a trash can next to a near by bench, I sprinted toward it, kicking it down and right into the three men who were now following Mikasa. The other two had broken off and were coming toward me. I could just barely feel a hand grazing my shoulder. My own hand shot back, grasping at the hand and pulling the man forward against my back, bringing my other arm back against his stomach, knocking the breath out of him. Twisting, I turned and pushed the crumbling man into the second one that had been far too close for comfort at that moment.

My eyes landed back on the car and I jolted forward, in a full on sprint. One of the men had gotten her car door open and they were pulling Mikasa from behind the wheel. I was on the man like a fly on shit, reaching into my pocket for the watch my cousin had given me early this morning. Hell, I didn’t even know if she realized that I had it on me. Twisting the long chain around one of my hands, my arms moved over the mans shoulders before I grabbed the watch end and pulled the chain tightly back against the mans neck, dragging him off Mikasa with as much strength as I could muster. The man let her go, but another one took his place, the man in my grasp struggling to breathe. As hard as Mikasa was fighting, I knew that we were going to lose this battle. Hands landed on my shoulders and an arm locked around my own neck.

Memories flashed in my mind of the last time I’d been put in that hold. It ended with me in a hospital bed with a very sore back and the scars on my neck. In the sudden panic, I let go of my hold of the watch, clutching hard to the other end of the chain as I hit the ground. They rolled me onto my stomach, tying my hands before searching me. My heart sunk when they found the package and pulled it from the inside of my coat.

“What are you doing with something like this, kid? Looking to sell it?” one of the men sneered at me, by my focus was on Mikasa. They had tied and gagged her. I didn’t even get the chance to give them the biting retort that was already on my tongue before they gagged me as well.

Both of us having been subdued, they pulled us both up so that we were settled on our knees. One of the men glanced from a few photographs in his hand to both Mikasa and I, giving a slow nod. “That’s them,” he said calmly, in English, before tucking the pictures away into his pocket.

“Bag ‘em and tag ‘em, boys.”

All I could do was sit and curse the American fucker.

Merry Christmas to all, and happy fucking birthday to me.


	2. Welcome Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. This chapter is quite a bit shorter than the first one, but that's because it's not as dramatic as the first. This chapter features Eren, Armin, and Erwin.
> 
> Keep in mind that the Winmin ship is in effect for this story, so if you don't really like the pairing, I'm sorry.
> 
> The first two chapters were literally written just to pave the way for the rest of the story. While how the main characters came to be in the position that they'll soon find themselves in really isn't too important, I did want to give just little hints of their backgrounds. I'll delve more into those hints later on, but for now, I just needed to give a little taste. :3
> 
> I will start tracking the tag 'fic: trh ereri' tag on tumblr if you ever wanna post something about the fic that you want me to see.
> 
> On another note, I'm going to try and update the chapters twice a week, if at all possible, simply because I don't have the self control to hang on to the chapters for too long.
> 
> Thank you again to Purplesauris for betaing this chapter for me!
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy the chapter!

“Wow,” the sound came out in a breathy sigh, and I barely looked up in time to see Armin standing in the doorway to my shop before he stepped further inside and closed the door. Of course, I was elbows deep in potting soil, and I’m sure that I had quite a bit of it all over my face too.

“What? Can’t believe that I’m really here, Armin?” I asked with a grin and a light chuckle, standing up and clapping some of the dirt off my hands. I resisted the urge to run my hand back through my hair, knowing that I would have a total mess on the top of my head if I did. I didn’t feel like showering, especially when I would likely come back and thrust my hands back into the dirt again a few minutes later.

My blonde-headed best friend just stared at me as if I’d grown a second head, still gripping at the door knob. His hair was longer than I remember it being. I could tell it was tied back into a long tail, and I could just barely see that it reached to the middle of his back. He was dressed as he always was, in a button up and knitted vest. Considering the weather, I would have thought him to be tad bit underdressed if he hadn’t folded his coat over his left arm.

My eyebrow lifted as curiosity filled me, and I crossed my arms over my chest, ignoring the fact that I had on a light blue shirt that surely had dirt stains now. “You’re really bad for business, you know. None of my customers can even get in the door,” I chided him very softly, stepping forward and grabbing onto his wrists, pulling him deeper into the shop. Once he got the permission that he really didn’t need in the first place, he straightened up and followed me in quietly.

“It’s not as if I was expecting you to…” he swallowed, not finishing his sentence.

“Die? You know, not everyone who joins the military dies, Armin.”

“No! Eren, I wasn’t saying that you were going to die. It’s just that… considering the situation, I didn’t think you’d be coming home alive at one point,” he said nervously, leaning back against the back of the counter while I sorted through various packs of seeds. I tried to keep my hands from shaking at the thought, my eyes squeezed shut as I worked through my breathing. I could tell by how his hand settled onto my shoulder that he knew how nervous I’d been that I was going to die. As usual, however, I knocked on the Devil’s door and then gave him a kick straight to the balls. Simple, yet it got the point across.

It’s not like I had left Germany, but I’d been stationed at a base not too far from Berlin. It was still quite far from my home in Bavaria. It hadn’t taken me long to become homesick. You never really realize how much you miss the smell of mountain air and wild flowers until you aren’t there anymore.

I know Armin wanted to bring up the events of the last few months, but I was sure that I’d spoken about it enough for one lifetime. I could still remember the tremors from the bomb blasts whenever I was still for too long. I could still hear the sounds in the silences that trailed between the various conversations and activities that came with lawyers and trials. I could still feel the ache of injuries that weren’t there anymore, even though I hid the scars beneath my shirt and refused to wear anything but long sleeves. No. I was done talking about it and my expression made sure that Armin dropped the subject right then and there.

Instead, Armin bent down to my level, sorting through the packs of seeds that I’d set aside, “You’re going to start potting the spring flowers, huh? On Christmas day? Shouldn’t you be with family?”

“My father hasn’t been seen since I left for the military. At this point, I’m not sure that I have any family to really go and see,” I said absently, pushing myself back to my feet.

“You’re a liar and you know it.”

I jumped at the scolding tone of Armin’s voice, my cheeks flushing slightly. He was right. Armin and his grandfather were my family now. Who gave a damn where my father was, it wasn’t like he’d ever been there for Christmas even when my mother was alive. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, watching Armin with an uneasy expression.

“Yeah, I am, aren’t I?” I asked, putting the seed packets on the counter, smiling down at my best friend as he stood up. He reached forward and nudged me in the shoulder with his closed fist.

Armin’s grin was heartbreakingly beautiful and I had to remind myself to breathe. I told myself a long time ago that my best friend was off limits. It was true we both liked men, but neither of us wanted to ruin our friendship over a relationship that could end up breaking us both. At first Armin argued that it wouldn’t happen to us; that we could be strong, but I’d continued to put my foot down. My friendship was more important than any romantic feelings that might not ever be there.

“Come on. My grandpa’s making Schnitzel,” Armin said, the brilliant smile not breaking off his features.

“Oh my, I better hurry, then,” I mused, rushing into the back to wash my hands and grab my jacket. If there was one thing that I didn’t want to miss, it was tasting the old man’s cooking.

While in the back, I heard the ringing of the shops bell. Slipping my arms into the sleeves of my jacket, I stepped out into the front, pausing when I realized that Armin was kissing my customer. Opening my mouth to say something, I found myself quickly speechless, so I resorted to clearing my throat to get their attention. The man who’d walked in lifted his head slowly, giving me a contemplative look, his blue eyes as bright as Armin’s. I instantly realized who this man was, but that didn’t explain why he was locking lips with my best friend in the middle of my flower shop.

Armin, on the other hand, flushed, his pale skin taking on a reddish quality. “O-oh. I thought he was going to wait out in the car,” Armin stuttered, his hands resting lightly on his cheeks.

“You were taking so long, so I thought I’d come and meet the man myself. Where have you kept him for so long, Armin?” the blonde, brick wall of a man asked in nearly fluent German. I could still tell that it was a little off, but I wasn’t concerned with his ability to speak our native tongue.

“You’re Erwin Smith…” I trailed off, not able to do anything but look between Armin and his… I didn’t even know what I could have called them.

My best friend blushed even more, clearing his throat and then scratching at the back of his neck, “Yeah. Erwin and I met on one of his more recent movie sets. I’ve been working part time as the technician on movie sets.”

“Did he put his tongue in your mouth then, too?” I said the biting comment before I even realized that the words had popped into mind. I instantly found myself groaning and slapping my palm against my forehead when I noted the expression that had taken over Armin’s features. Erwin didn’t seem fazed. Then again, kissing people in the presence of others was probably second nature for such a famous actor as him.

Erwin took control of the situation rather quickly and I found myself listening to him intently. He really did have something that drew others toward him, and I found that I really couldn’t be mad that my best friend was… erm, dating him?

“We just hit it off. That’s all you really need to know,” he said with a polite smile, his voice just as soothing and commanding as it was on the silver screen. Though, I had to admit that there was something off about the way that he was watching me. I shrugged the feeling off, not really wanting to get into anything with this man.

I could respect that, and at that moment, I didn’t need to know more. The fact that Armin seemed very happy and well off with Erwin was the only encouragement that I needed to drop the subject. I wasn’t going to ruin what they had because I was feeling over protective. Besides, my mind was more on the fact that I was going to be tasting Grandpa Arlert’s cooking tonight in what could have been one of the greatest Christmas dinners that I would ever have.

Waving my hands at the happy couple, I ushered them out of the front door of the shop and stepped out behind them, turning to lock the front doors. I turned to follow them to the car, my eyes widening at the luxury of it. You didn’t often see limos in the Bavarian Alps. You just didn’t see them, much less ride in them. I slipped into the back, feeling Armin slide in next to me without another word. Erwin slid into the seat across from us, reaching next to him and pulling out a bottle of champagne.

“How about we celebrate?” he asked with a smile, starting to pour three flutes of the bubbling liquid.

“That sound’s great, actually. I haven’t had a drink in a few years,” I chuckled as I took mine gratefully and Armin followed suit. The first sip burned just slightly, but I soon got used to the taste.

“This is delicious,” Armin commented, looking quite pleased with the selection. He usually hadn’t been too into drinking, but I guess things could have changed over the time that I’d been gone. People changed, after all.

We chattered for a while, discussing this thing and that thing without too much of a purpose. It was simply relaxing. I couldn’t remember the last time that I’d had a conversation that wasn’t with a lawyer or a judge. Even then, everything had been an endless cycle of repeating facts and questions. This was just… nice. I couldn’t have had a better time, if it wasn’t for that same nagging feeling that I was getting back in the shop. I kept catching Erwin watching me with an unreadable expression, but with the alcohol clouding my system, I really didn’t focus much on it.

Now, I’d never been much of a lightweight when it came to alcohol. I was a German man. I liked my alcohol to be strong, but this champagne was really something. Only a half glass in and my body was starting to feel heavy. I noticed quickly, even though I was feeling terribly sluggish, that Armin was feeling the same. His eyes were half closed and his head was lolling forward slowly. Glancing to Erwin, my smile went from blissful to dumbstruck in a heartbeat. Erwin hadn’t had any of the alcohol that he had poured for himself. Instead, he seemed much more interested in what was happening with Armin and I.

We’d been drugged. Armin’s boyfriend had drugged us. My mouth felt like cotton and my eyes and body started to feel even heavier before. I held my glass out to Erwin with a shaking hand, my mouth forming incoherent words as I tried to accuse Erwin of his crimes. The edges of my vision started to blur, and the flute slipped from my grasp. Then the world went black.

The last thing I saw was Erwin smiling like he’d just won a gold star.

Somehow I knew that we weren’t going to visit Grandpa Arlert.


	3. We're The Reluctant Heroes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter took a while. I didn't mean for it to, but life got in the way and I wasn't able to write it until now. There's not much to say about this chapter other than the fact that this is the start of alllllllllllllllllll the crap that's gonna happen later on. :3
> 
> As usual, I track the tag "fic: trh ereri" on tumblr. You can find me as ladyaikaterinadee on tumblr as well. My two betas for this chapter were Purplesauris, and MelloLily. Thank you to you both!
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!

I don’t know how long I’d had the blindfold on. The absence of all light made telling day from night absolutely impossible. I couldn’t tell floor from wall, hard from soft, cold from hot. Everything had been completely silent for so long, and most of the time I’d scream just so that my ears could identify something other than the rapid beating of my own heart. The gag in my mouth, a simple cloth that made me salivate constantly, was only removed when I was forced to eat. Most of the time it was some sort of luke warm porridge, but I couldn’t complain. It was food, and by the time the meals came, I was too hungry to give any sign that I was displeased with what sustenance that I was given.

One thing was always the same. No one ever said a word. They hardly even made a sound when they came or when they left.

I was so distanced from my own senses that a sense of claustrophobia eventually started to overwhelm me. I was panicking so much that they even put me under quite a few times. As soon as I felt that needle in my neck, I knew that the only thing waiting for me was oblivion. Sometimes I didn’t even realize that I’d woken up from those chemically induced slumbers until I was being fed or led to the toilet.

The routine changed so suddenly that it was almost staggering. After one of my anxiety attacks, I woke with my hands unbound, though I could still feel the gag and I could only see darkness. My breathing ragged and my hands trembling uncontrollably, I ripped the blindfold off only to regret it a moment later.

Fluorescent lights blinded me the moment I opened them to the light, and I was hit with an instantaneous migraine that only lasted a few moments. The gag was next, and I promptly threw it right to the ground, bending over and coughing until I was sure that I could breathe properly once more. My jaw felt weird once it settled into its natural position, though I moved it from side to side to try and rid myself of the unfamiliar feeling. I rolled my wrists and squeezed my hands a few times, staring at my palms. I blinked once, twice, three times, trying to get my eyes to focus on anything but the blinding lights above my head.

It was then that I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and whizzed around. My heart stopped in my chest, and my jaw dropped slightly.

The room I was in was a simple glass box. I could see out five of the six faces of the cube, the bottom pane having been made out of a stark white porcelain. There was nothing in my cube except for a small cot. I’d been so blinded that I hadn’t even realized that there was somewhere else other than the floor to sit. There was a door on one of the faces, but one could tell that it wouldn’t open without someone putting in a passcode on the keypad just next to it. The fact that I was in a glass box wasn’t what had stunned me so badly. No. It was the fact that I wasn’t the only one who had been stuck in a cube such as this. There were nine others, though the only one I paid any attention to was Mikasa.

She was banging on the wall of her cube facing mine. I could tell she was yelling my name, but I couldn’t hear her voice. I was standing close to the glass in a matter of moments, pressing my hand against it, a frown forming on my lips. I wanted to reach out and tell her that I was alright, that we all would be okay, but even I didn’t have that much confidence in our situation. I settled with just frowning at her, making a point to show her that I really couldn’t hear her.

Mikasa kicked harshly at the glass, trying to hide what looked like a streak of pain that flashed across her features for only a split second. Shaking my head, I took the chance to observe the other people who were situated into their own little cubes of space. It seemed that I was the last one to wake up, because everyone was watching my exchange with my cousin, mild interest settling in the eight other pairs of eyes that I observed.

There was a lanky man with a broad chest, tousled brown hair, and the brightest green eyes I’d ever seen in my life. Another was shorter, with long blonde hair that hung loosely down his back and along his shoulders. He had blue eyes almost as vibrant as the brunettes. There was a tiny little blonde girl in the back corner, in a direct diagonal from me, and the woman in the cube next to her was tanned, with dark hair and freckles. A tiny man with a shaved head was hopping back and forth from one foot to another, his gaze impatiently trailing to a girl a little shorter than him with long, auburn hair. The last two men that I could see were leaning toward each other, though their cubes didn’t allow any sort of contact. A tall man with a lithe figure, dark hair, and freckles, and the other man with a two-toned haircut and a pinched look on his face.

I tried not to let my bewilderment show on my features, but it seemed that Mikasa and I weren’t the only ones who’d been taken and forced here… wherever we were. The structure that surrounded us was made of steel and concrete, and there was no clear route of escape; windows, or even any doors. We could have been anywhere in the world and no one would have known where, at least not from the inside. I could only imagine what this place looked like on the outside, if it even rose above ground level.

Suddenly, I was really fucking pissed off. Who deserved this type of treatment? I’d done some really shitty things in my life, and maybe I did deserve this, but not my cousin. Not Mikasa. She shouldn’t have been punished like this. I slammed my fist into the class of the cube, letting out a low growl, my eyes trained on Mikasa.

“Why are we here?”

“That’s such a good question, isn’t it?” a smooth voice cut through the room. It was like everything that kept us from hearing sounds from the outside was removed, and I even found that there was a slight breeze that moved through my cube, though I couldn’t see where the openings were.

I didn’t realize that I’d even said anything until I got my answer. And a few moments later, I whirled around, looking for where the voice had come from, my expression surely becoming venomous. My gaze flickered up toward the ceiling as I watched a small box descend toward the ground, lowered by thick steel cables. There were three people standing in the suspended elevator, and I couldn’t help but freeze at the sight of… one of the most famous actors in the world? What the fuck?

Erwin Smith seemed unphased by whatever was happening, and he certainly paid no attention to the rest of us in the cubes. Except for one in particular. The boy with the long blonde hair who refused to even look in his direction, choosing to settle into an impassive position, his arms crossed over his chest.

There was a woman with him. She appeared very manic, though she was doing a good job in keeping her cool right at that moment. I could tell from the way her body fidgeted that she had a difficult time staying still, clearly excited by all of us lab rats in cubes that we couldn’t escape. The third person was an older man, and he was clad in a German military uniform. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the brunette boy step toward the glass, saying nothing, though clear recognition showed on his features.

The older man spoke first, “My name is General Dot Pixis, and I’m the highest ranking officer in the German military,” he spoke in English, and everyone seemed to react to his words, their attention on him. I gave him my best glare, still worrying over my cousin, who seemed to tense even more than she already had.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” I snap indignantly at Pixis, saying the last word with a dangerous conviction.

He turned in my direction, and soon all the other gazes in the room were on me. I started to feel a little uncomfortable with the attention, but I held my ground. “I was just getting to that, Monsieur Ackerman. If you could kindly keep your mouth shut,” Pixis said with an easy-going smile that only made me want to _kindly_ sock him in the mouth. Something about this man made me rather uneasy, though I made sure I looked just the right amount of pissed off to hide that little fact.

“If you’re done,” Pixis said with a pointed stare in my direction, to which I shrugged at, “Each and every one of you were… acquired for very specific reasons. Each of you has a skill in which you are the absolute best with. You have no equal in your skills, and therefore you have become suddenly useful to us.”

This time, I didn’t interrupt. No, the tall brunette a few cubes down from me did. His green eyes flashed with confusion, “Who exactly is this ‘us’?”

Pixis didn’t get a chance to answer before the woman standing at his side cut in, “Why, the United Nations! Who else?” she said with an excited giggle. “I’ve got it from here, General Pixis,” she noted with a dismissive wave in his direction. Pixis didn’t argue, slipping his hand into an inner pocket of his jacket and pulling out a flask.  
“After months of extensive research, we’ve learned each and every thing about the ten of you. As Pixis stated, you all have some sort of skill that is beneficial to the plan that we’ve set into motion. We, the United Nations, are putting together a Task Force, dubbed the Wings of Freedom, and you ten are official members as of right this moment. If you want to deny this opportunity to serve humanity and the world as you know it, we can shoot you right now. Problem solved,” the woman said with smug smile.

There was a long moment of silence. A very long moment. My mouth was dry and all I felt was nausea rolling in my stomach. I let out a rush of breath I didn’t know I’d been holding when the blonde man with the blue eyes broke the deafening silence, “Why not just let us go?”

The crazy UN woman smiled at the blonde kid, “Why? Because this is an entirely secret sub-organization of the United Nations. Only the highest ranking UN ambassadors from each country know about it, and even then, our work is kept hidden from even them. The only ones who truly know about us are those of us who are members ourselves. I can’t let you leave here alive because knowledge of this organization cannot be released to the public.”

My first thought was about why a task force like this was even needed, but then again, I could think of a few reasons why. There was so much shit going on in the world, yes, but there was probably a lot worse happening than anyone even realized. The fact that the United Nations advocated the creation of this organization was a testament to how bad things really were. I couldn’t say that I agreed with how they went about putting all of us together, but if things were as bad as I expected, then I really couldn’t find myself saying no to the opportunity to make a difference. I’d been nothing but a stain on the morality of human beings, and I’d done nothing but wrong in my life. The prospect of doing something different and good with my life… I wanted it. I wanted it badly.

I wasn’t going to say no.

After all, the only other option was death.

When no one said anything about denying life on the task force, the woman decided to go on ahead and continue explaining, “Since none of you seem to want a bullet to the head, I’ll start by introducing myself and the rest of you. My name is Hanji Zoë. I’m the leader of this organization, as well as the head medical physician of the Wings of Freedom. This is, of course, General Pixis. He is the creator of this organization. And this,” Hanji said with a smirk, motioning to Erwin Smith, “is Erwin Smith. He was chosen for his skill to act, reason through situations, and in his prime, he was quite the con artist and negotiator.”

The blonde boy a few cubes down snorted, looking quite upset about something. I ignored him.

“Now. Let’s say hello to the rest of you!” Hanji said excitedly, pointing in my direction, “You are Levi Ackerman. Age 23. French. You specialize mainly in counterfeiting, forging, and combat situations. The lady next to you is Mikasa Ackerman. Age 21. Japanese. She’s your cousin. She specializes in anything mechanical. A street racer and a pilot, she handles vehicles like an absolute angel,” Hanji started, earning stunned silence from both Mikasa and I before she continued on. She pointed toward the brunette with the green eyes, “Eren Jaeger. Age 22. German. Your leadership skills and military experience are quite sought after, but it is your ability to come out of most situations nearly unscathed that brought you here. The blondie next to Eren is Armin Arlert, another German kid. He’s an absolute genius and is a master hacker at only 22. Exciting, huh?!” she asked the silent room with a giggle.

Hanji went on to point out the kid with the two toned hair. His name was Jean Kirstein, and his skill was in creating and deconstructing any type of explosive. He had an extensive military background, just like Jaeger. The brunette with freckles was Marco Bott, and he was a Psychology student at Yale in the US before he was pulled off the streets. Apparently he had already obtained his doctorate and had been looking for a job, anyway. Lucky him, he gets to join or eat a bullet. The dark skinned woman was named Ymir, but Hanji wouldn’t say anything about her other than she worked as a bodyguard. The blonde girl next to Ymir was named Historia… or Krista. Apparently she was undercover, but her eidetic memory was the reason that she was pulled into the WoF. The kid with the shaved head was Connie Springer, and he was a high strung Russian with an affinity for weapons of all kinds. If you gave him a weapon, he’d be able to tell you everything about it without even blinking. His wife, Sasha Springer, was in the cube next to him. Apparently she was a really fucking amazing thief, so she’d been taken when Connie had been captured.

I stared around the room at my new comrades, trying to memorize names and faces. Everyone looked uneasy as I felt, but no one spoke against the fact that they were being held hostage by the United Nations. Maybe they felt the same way that I did. Whatever we did, we could really make a difference. Sure, there were only ten of us, but if we’d all been picked together, surely we could work together. I myself wasn’t the best with teamwork, but if my life was on the line, I wouldn’t argue with my orders.

“What is the purpose of the Wings of Freedom?” I found myself asking. All eyes were on me again, but I ignored them, staring right at Hanji.

“All in due time, Levi. First things first, we’ve got to get you out of those boxes and give you the tour! By then, dinner will be served and you can ask all the questions that you want to,” Hanji noted with a dismissive wave of her hand, starting to wander amongst the mass of glass cubes. As she passed each one, she pressed a button, and the entire side of the cube would disconnect and slide down into the floor, releasing each of the prisoners. 

I found myself gravitating toward Mikasa’s side, wrapping an arm around her when she suddenly threw her arms around my neck. She’d never admit it, but she’d been just as terrified as I had been. I buried my face against her neck, rubbing her back gently to reassure her. She pulled away from me, sticking close to my side, but remaining silent.  
When Hanji released Jaeger from his cube, the tall brunette stalked across the floor and right up to Erwin. I hardly saw Eren’s fist connect with Erwin’s jaw before Erwin staggered back, looking stunned. Armin was at Eren’s side in a heartbeat, trying to pull him away from Erwin before things got too violent.

Silently, I vowed not to make that Eren kid angry. I wasn’t afraid of fighting him, but if he was as much of a loose cannon as he appeared, I wasn’t going to risk it. Though, knowing my mouth, I wouldn’t avoid any sort of conflict with him.

The confrontation was dispelled by Hanji and soon all ten of us were crowded in front of her. Everyone looked uneasy, like they weren’t sure what they’d just gotten themselves into. Even I didn’t fully understand what was going to happen now, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that the world was fucked up. It needed to be fixed, and it had to happen soon.

It was true, none of us were expecting this. None of us signed up for this job, but sure enough, there we were. We'd become reluctant heroes and suddenly the world was looking to us to fix everything. Either we succeeded, or our world became a literal hell.


	4. Rules to Live By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. This chapter took me a while to write, and I'm really sorry! It's longer than all the other chapters and it took me a while to figure out just how I wanted to lay the headquarters and living arrangements out. There's some humor and just a small hint of Ereri in this chapter, so feel free to get excited. There will be more coming starting in Chapter 5. :3
> 
> I know that when I started this fic I said I was going to try and update it twice a week. That's just not going to happen. Heck, it might not even happen once a week. Sometimes you might wait a few days, others a few weeks, and sometimes even a month. It all just depends on when I can actually sit down and write something that... isn't school work. College is very difficult, and since I'm coming to the end of my degree, things are really picking up and I'm getting less and less time to spend doing anything outside of school work. When it comes to my winter break, I'm hoping that I can finish quite a few chapters and make it all up to you for being so slow.
> 
> Those of you that are still here and still reading: Thank you! It means a lot to me, and I love to see comments and such. If I ever get any information wrong, feel free to tell me personally either on here or you can find me at ladyaikaterinadee.tumblr.com.
> 
> I'd like to thank my beta Purplesauris (purplesauris.tumblr.com) for reading through this chapter for me and catching most of my mistakes. She's an absolute sweetheart and I love her to death.
> 
> As always, I track and post to the tag 'fic: trh ereri' on tumblr.
> 
> Also, I'd like to make a note of Eren's and Levi's heights. I'm not exactly clear in this chapter other than giving a small hint.
> 
> Levi is 5'3"  
> Eren is 6'5"

I have to admit, I was quite easy to anger. After all, I had just punched a celebrity in the face. Yet, at this moment, he was less a celebrity and more of a liar and thief. I could clearly see the pain that had settled on Armin’s features, even though he tried to hide it by confident blue eyes. No, I saw the pain. I saw it clear as the blue sky on a clear day. He’d clearly lied to the both of us, and in his deception, he’d stolen a part of Armin that he could probably never get back.

“Fuck you!” I hardly heard myself say as Erwin staggered back, holding his jaw.

The tall, brick wall of a blonde man just gave me a mockingly wounded look, “Ow.”

I started to see red again, thrusting myself forward to go after him again. Hanji stopped me, jabbing a pressure point in my back that had me on my knees in an instant. She just clicked her tongue at me and ruffled my hair as she passed by, patting Erwin’s shoulder. She then turned to face everyone. They’d all gathered, and I suddenly felt like an idiot for losing my temper like that. I mean, I was easy to anger, but I didn’t always act on it. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone after someone like that. I’d picked fights in school, but since I’d joined the military I’d been a lot better at keeping my cool. Maybe it was because General Pixis, then just a Major, had beaten the living shit out of me the first time I’d ever gone after one of my comrades.

By the look on Pixis’ usually easy going features, I knew he was debating making me relive that beating. I picked myself off the floor, brushing myself off and giving Armin an apologetic look. He just smiled at me and shook his head, clearly trying not to look as wounded as I knew he felt.

Fuck Erwin. Fuck him.

I took a few moments to collect myself, not listening as Hanji started to babble on about something. It hit me right then what I’d just signed up for. What we had all signed up for. I felt sick. This wasn’t how I was supposed to live out my young life. I just wanted to go home and stick my hands in pots of potting soil. I just wanted to be in my greenhouse.

“Eren?” Hanji’s voice cut through my thoughts, probably seeing the conflicted glint in my eyes.

“Hm?” I grunted, dragging my gaze up to meet her’s.

“My gun is already loaded,” she said simply, lifting a dark eyebrow.

Swallowing hard, I put up my hands as if that would help to deflect a bullet, “I’m good, thank you.”

“Good. Shall we get moving then?” she asked with a wide grin at the ten of us. There were small noises of agreement, and we all started to follow Hanji, Erwin, and Pixis toward the suspended elevator. It was surprisingly roomy, and every one of us was able to pack into the thing. I stood behind the black haired man who’d been leading most of the conversation up to this point. He was quite a bit shorter than me, I observed. Then again, I was abnormally tall. At least when it came to genetics. Though, Levi (I think that’s what his name was, anyway.), was pretty short. The fact that the top of his head didn’t even break the top of my shoulder was saying something. I didn’t dwell on that for long, because as soon as we started to lift into the air, he gripped onto the bar just below the lip of the elevator, his knuckles going whiter the further we rose into the air.

He was afraid of heights. At least thats what it seemed like. I wasn’t going to ask, though. That wasn’t any of my business.

Soon, we were pulled into the dark opening in the ceiling. The elevator clicked into place, and my breath stopped short. We were in pitch darkness. I couldn’t even see where my body ended and anyone elses began, and it reminded me of being blindfolded only minutes before. Hanji maneuvered through the group to the front of the elevator, opening the low door and stepping on to what seemed like level ground. I could hear the click of a lock and then light flooded what appeared to be a tool shed. Well, a building that masqueraded as a tool shed. We all filed out of the shed and stepped onto the lawn of… What the hell? 

This place was like a fortress. Literally… it was a fortress. Or castle. It was at least something very akin to a castle, and for a moment, I wondered just where the hell in the world we were.

As soon as I opened my mouth to ask the question that I knew we were all thinking, Hanji cut in.

“We’re in northern Scotland, before you ask. By the ocean. We found this abandoned castle, bought the land it sat on, and then reconstructed it. Welcome to your new home, everyone. Shiganshina Castle,” she noted, holding up her hand to motion us all to follow.

I spared a few glances around, suddenly filled with excitement. In the far corner of the clearing was a large building… a greenhouse. I almost couldn’t contain myself, aching to be working in the dirt. I swallowed hard as we moved forward and away from the glass building I so wanted to make my home in. I didn’t realize that we had stopped until I crashed into Levi.

The man turned to strike me suddenly, though his arm was caught by that girl, Mikasa.

“It’s alright, Levi,” she soothed quietly as he slowly dropped his arm to his side, glaring at me.

And he didn’t look away, clearly sizing me up, the scowl on his features never fading. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe, frozen in one spot. All I could do was observe his body language and hope that he wasn’t going to decide to hit me after all. I knew I could take him, but that didn’t mean I wanted my new comrade to hit me. He didn’t, and even after he turned away, I could still feel the warm heat that his gaze had lit within my body. What had just happened?

Shaking the heat from my limbs, I took a few long strides forward, following the group. They’d all but forgotten about the sudden exchange, more focused on the architecture of the large castle. However, my gaze kept wandering back to Levi, curiosity lighting the fire in my limbs once again. What was up with him? It was true, I didn’t even know him. He hadn’t said a single word to me, and the only action he’d made toward me was to hit me, but what made him act like that? And so suddenly, too. Giving my head a slight shake, I moved to follow the rest of the group, dropping the thoughts immediately.

Instead, I focused on the castle. It was pretty large in size, but it was by no means extravagant on the outside. It was larger than any that I’d ever seen before. There were four large towers, one on each corner of the structure. The main portion of the castle was five stories tall from ground level, with each tower reaching two stories higher in the front corners, and three stories in the back two. From the outside, it gave the impression of a very old prison. I could only imagine what the inside looked like.

Hanji walked up to the front doors, and I instantly noted a keypad on the right side of the door. She quickly punched in a few numbers, and there was an audible click. Booth doors swung back, opening the entrance to our group. Our leader wasted no time in leading us inside, pressing another code into a second set of doors. The first set had closed behind us and thrown us right into pitch darkness once more. I could have sworn that there had been windows on this part of the building. The idea struck me as odd, but my thoughts were dashed the moment the second set of doors opened to us.

Holy fuck.

Looks certainly were deceiving.

The entire main room was open. From floor to ceiling, everything was open. The entire inside was very modern-looking, built up with plaster, steel, and large amounts of glass. Starting on the third floor there were balconies that rimmed the entire outline of the room, crafted out of glass and steel. The staircases were built into the sides of the walls, leading from one floor up to the other. I noticed the largest staircase was off to the left of the room and it lead right onto the third floor balcony. There were bridges that crossed through the center of the room, from one side of a floor to the next and they were all made of glass with high steel railings.

The balconies weren’t just there for the hell of it, it seemed. There were many doors on the left, right, and back sides of the room, starting on the bottom floor, skipping what would have been the second floor, and then spanning from the third floor to the fifth. Rooms. There were so many rooms and so many possibilities of what was behind each and every door. There was a door much like the one we had just come in on the complete opposite side of the room, and I vaguely wondered what was on the other side.

The main floor was a mix of various different setups. In one corner, there were large amounts of tvs set up with quite a few computers and chairs. In the opposite corner, there was a café with more tables than I could count. The corner to our direct left held a sitting area with a few tvs and what looked like a really amazing sound system, and the corner to our right was another sitting area with a fireplace and a few bookshelves. The very center of the room was cleared out, and it appeared as if there could be things set up there for special events, if there were even events to be had.

And there were people. Lots of people. There were people in both sitting areas, in the cafeteria chairs and behind the counters, and there were even some individuals that were working at the computers, their eyes glancing from the large screens on the walls and then back to their own. 

I’m sure I looked like a deer caught in the headlights of some oncoming semi, because everything hit me all at once. We were new recruits to something that had been forming for a long time now. I glanced back to Armin to see his reaction and he looked just as stunned as I was. Everyone did, now that I was really looking. The only two who seemed unphased was that Levi guy and his cousin, Mikasa. Levi had absolutely no expression whatsoever, and Mikasa just looked bored, her hand on Levi’s shoulder. She looked as if she might swing at any time.

Everyone looked like they were about to start wandering away, just as enthused with the headquarters as I was, but Erwin quickly reigned everyone in. Hanji let everyone have their moments before her voice cut over all the chatter, “Alright. Head toward the cafeteria.”

We all listened to her, crowding around two different tables. I ended up being squished between Levi and Armin. Armin kept very close to me because Erwin decided to sit next to him and I tried not to get up and punch the guy again. I was pretty sure that if I even tried I would be stopped. I knew for a fact that Hanji and Pixis wouldn’t put up with my violent attitude toward the man. Instead, I put my arm around Armin and slid closer, hearing a short “tsk” to my left. I turned my head in time to see Levi look away, lean back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. He was staring at Hanji. 

The first thing to come out of his mouth was utterly shocking, “Are you finally going to answer my question, Shit Glasses?”

Hanji’s smile actually faltered and she leaned forward, slapping her hands down on the table, “Ackerman, for once, could you hold your tongue?”

Levi seemed to back down, holding his hands up as if they would really shield him from Hanji’s words. He crossed his arms over his chest and fell silent once more.

Phew. I don’t think I could have dodged being hit if Hanji had decided to go after Levi, not that I underestimated Hanji’s self control. She just… didn’t seem like the type that thought before doing things, and that actually terrified me. Just what situations was she going to put us into, and what was going to happen when things got really stressful?

Hanji’s demeanor changed just as quickly as it had before, and she sat up straighter in her chair. The few of us that were still staring at Levi for his outburst finally tore our gazes away and we focused on Hanji. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Erwin eying my hold on Armin, and to make a point, I tightened my grip on my friend. Armin relaxed a little more, though I could still feel how tense he was. Being close to Erwin obviously made him uncomfortable. I glared at him over the top of Armin’s blond head, giving him extra stink eye.

Hanji snapped her fingers in front of my face, “Hey. Eren. Pay attention.”

I jumped and gave my full attention to Hanji, flushing slightly with embarrassment. Pixis was staring at me with an intense expression that told me to either straighten out or I really was in for that beating.

No thank you.

Not again.

I can still feel the bruises he left from the last time.

“So, before I can give you the tour, I need to lay down a few ground rules since you will all be living here,” Hanji started, staring right at Levi as if daring him to open his mouth again, “As you can see, the bridges and balconies are constructed of steel and glass. The glass is extremely durable, so don’t worry about breaking it or anything. However, because it is glass, and it’s transparent, we’ve banned all dresses and skirts.”

This time it was Connie to cut in, “But we’re in Scotland! Kilts!” His Russian accent was heavy, but it wasn’t hard to understand him, thankfully.

His wife, Sasha, was trying very hard not to fall prey to a fit of giggles. Armin was trembling as if he was trying to hold back a laugh. Everyone, even Hanji, seemed to find the comment hilarious. Soon the table had exploded with raucous laughter. I let my gaze trail to Levi, noting that he didn’t seem at all phased.

No, he looked bored. As always.

“As true as that is, Connie, we stick by our rules. No dresses or skirts of any kind. Do not walk on the bridges in your towels unless you’re wearing something under the towel to block any unwanted views,” Hanji said with a chuckle, snorting through the last few bouts of her own laughter.

We all nodded in agreement. It was an easy enough rule. It wasn’t like I was going to be wearing kilts.

“Second. Meals are served all day, at any time of day. You’ll be given a card when you get to your rooms. It’s not only half of your room key, but also your meal ticket. You get four meals per day, and unlimited snacks… within reason. Just a warning, but we can block out your purchases of certain items if we feel you have an… addiction. If you’re eating nothing but potato chips or cookies as your snacks, you’ll eventually find that you are relegated to only the healthier snack options. Moderation, kiddos. From here on out, you are all soldiers. We can’t have you getting fat, and while we encourage the occasional unhealthy treat, don’t push your luck,” Hanji explained the next order carefully, watching all of our reactions.

Sasha rose her hand, and for the first time, she spoke. Her accent was as thick as Connie’s, but her voice was softer, “Ms. Hanji. Why four meals?”

A smile broke out on the doctor’s face and she scratched the back of her head, “You see… you guys are all going to start some very… intensive training. It’s draining and very stressful on your body. Thus, you may find that your appetites will change over time. Instead of three meals, you’ll find that you need more food to sustain you. It’s also why we allow unlimited snacks. There will be at least two training sessions in a day, three if we feel that you need more work or if you’re receiving specialized training from one of our senior agents.”

“Rule number three. We don’t care what you do with your personal lives. We don’t care who you make friends with, or if you make friends at all. However, when it comes to your work, keep your personal feelings out of it. If you have an issue with your roommate, get over it quickly, because they aren’t going anywhere and neither are you. If you have a lovers quarrel… for the love of god don’t drag anyone else into it,” Hanji noted, looking in the direction of Erwin, Armin, and I.

Fuck.

I’ve already broken a rule. Even though I threw myself into the battle from the beginning.

Whoops.

“Your training sessions have been planned for two groups of five. The first session is at 8am, and the second is at 8pm. Don’t be late, and if you don’t eat before hand, sorry. Once you’re on the training field, you’re there until the session is over. There are numerous locations that we will send you to; some are inside of this castle, some are on the castle grounds, and some will be in undisclosed locations. If you are going to be off the castle grounds, your training sessions will start an hour later than normal, and transport times will be posted the day before. If you’re late or you miss a session for any reason, there will be a make-up session at noon. The make-up sessions tend to be quite a bit harder than your normal training sessions, so try not to fuck up your schedules, alright?” Hanji said it all in one long breath and I wondered if she was even human. She was clearly getting excited about this whole thing, but the rest of us just looked… unsure.

Armin pulled away from my side after a while, and I lifted my arm and set it back in my lap. There was so much to take in, and I was sure that Hanji wasn’t done talking yet. I hoped that there wasn’t much more, because right now the only thing I wanted to do was go and pass out. Or maybe eat. The smell coming from the kitchen was intoxicating and I could feel my stomach twisting with hunger. It’d be nice to eat something other than that disgusting porridge we’d been eating before.

Hanji’s voice cut through my thoughts and I was instantly focused on her again, “There are more rules, but the rest will be covered in your first training session which is tomorrow morning. Right now, it’s time for the tour. Then we’ll assign you your rooms, let your pick your passcodes, and then you’ll have the rest of the night to yourselves. Up and at ‘em, kiddos!”

I pushed myself to my feet, eager to get moving again. Armin stayed close to me, and I could barely hear Levi make another sound behind me. When I turned to look at him, Mikasa was speaking lowly into his ear, obviously reprimanding him for what he’d said to Hanji earlier. He shrugged and pushed past her, following Hanji as she started to lead us toward a set of double doors on the other side of the large room.

The tour was nice. The double doors lead to all the training areas. The bottom floor was home to the physical training areas. There was a basement that housed a pool and a shooting range. The upper levels housed a few more rooms that she wouldn’t tell us anything about, but no one tried to pry. We never went to the other side of the castle, so none of us knew what was behind those double doors. Hanji showed us the courtyard out the back, which was walled in with various training areas and outside facilities. There were large gates at the end of the courtyard and she mentioned there being an airstrip and a garage back there, but we didn’t have time to go and see it.

Soon enough, she was leading us up to the upper levels of the main room. Apparently all of the doors along the balconies edges were either entrances to a few of the upper training rooms or they were the doors to our personal apartments. We all stood huddled on the third floor’s balcony while Hanji assigned us to our rooms.

Sasha and Connie were in a room together on the third floor.

Jean was with Marco on the third floor.

Ymir and Krista were in a room on the fourth floor.

Mikasa was with a woman named Petra on the fifth floor.

Armin. No. No. Fuck Erwin. They were on the fourth floor. I tried not to launch myself at the tall actor, knowing that it would probably end with us falling over the edge of the balcony.

And of course… that left me with Levi. On the fifth floor. Suite 396.

I didn’t know how I felt about that. Levi obviously wasn’t the social type. He’d already pissed Hanji off and he’d tried to punch me not even a few hours before. Why did I always get the shit end of the stick? I ignored the sunken feeling in my gut and tried to give Levi a friendly smile. He just glared at me, his eyes saying everything that he needed to.

My roommate hated my guts already. Fuck it all.

Hanji passed out our room keys and gave us the instructions for setting the keypad locks. I then made a beeline for the nearest set of stairs. Levi followed behind me, albeit a little slower. He was probably scared out of his wits if he was really afraid of heights. When I glanced back at him, I could see his hands gripping both railings as if he were terrified he was going to fall. Then those grey eyes met mine and I was caught. Clearing my throat, I turned quickly again and continued to rush up the next flight of stairs until I was on the fifth floor. I seeked out my room, slid the keycard in the lock, and the door opened.

Pushing the handle down, I pushed the door open. I froze. These rooms were… huge. They were set up hotel style. One large bed on one side of the room and another on the other. There was a window in our room, at the very back and overlooking the courtyard. I chose the bed to the right and went to sit down before I observed the rest of the room. There was a small dinette kitchen with a microwave, mini fridge, and a sink. Opposite that, there was what appeared to be a large bathroom. There were two large dressers and two desks, a couch and a large tv. There was a bookshelf near the window, but it was empty. I finally noticed that there were two bags sitting in the middle of the room. One was labelled with my name and the other Levi’s.

I was just getting into my bag when the door opened and Levi stormed in. He snatched up his bag without saying a single word to me and went to his own bed. I slowly started pulling out clothes.

Wait. These were from my house. They broke into my house?

At that moment, I really didn’t care. These were familiar items and I was actually grateful to have a piece of home with me. I unpacked slowly, filling my dresser with my clothes and setting a few of the trinkets they’d grabbed onto my desk. They’d also thrown in a picture of my mother and for a moment everything became blurry. I quickly forced the tears back and set the picture on the nightstand next to my bed, sighing heavily.

I looked up to see that Levi was already unpacked. He was holding what looked like a sketchbook and a case of what I could only suspect were pencils. It was the first time that I actually saw him relax. He got up to set them on his desk before thrusting his hand into his bag to check for anything else. He pulled out a gold pocket watch and froze. He stared at it for the longest time before setting it abruptly on his nightstand. I didn’t realize how much I’d been staring until he caught me again.

“Jesus fucking christ. Stop fucking staring, will you?” Levi’s voice cut through me and I watched him with wide eyes.

“Ah… sorry,” I said quickly, shooting to my feet and fumbling for the keycard in my pocket. “Do you want to set the code?” I asked with a nervous smile.

“Sure. I don’t care. Give me a number,” he muttered, storming back toward the door. I followed closely behind him, noting that I was probably a little too close for comfort.

“4856,” I said calmly, watching as Levi aggressively punched the numbers into the keypad and set the lock.

Here’s the thing about personal boundaries. I really needed to learn to keep my distance.

Levi turned so quickly that I staggered back, reaching out and grabbing for the first thing that I could get my hands on to try and catch myself.

Unfortunately, I grabbed Levi.

We toppled to the floor and it took me a moment to figure out what had just happened. My eyes went wide when Levi lifted himself up, glaring down at me. He was close enough that I could feel his warmth and I swallowed hard. He leaned forward just a bit to speak close to my ear, “Don’t touch me, brat.”

I never expected him to punch me, but he did. I clutched my stomach, coughing out gasps as Levi forced himself to his feet. He was gone before I could even catch my breath, and I was left alone in an empty room with an aching gut and an obviously confused expression.

What had just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. Levi IS afraid of heights in this. It's going to play a big part in the story later on. :3
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'm really looking forward to Chapter 5!


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